Direction-signal for motor-vehicles.



K. E. STOKER.

DIRECTION SIGNAL FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2. 1916- Patented May 22, 1917.

WITNESS.

ITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KING E. STOKER, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

DIRECTION-SIGNAL FOB. MOTOR-VEHICLES.

To all ivhom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, KING E. STOKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stockton, in the county of San J oaquin,.

State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Direction- Signals for Motor-Vehicles; and I do de-' clare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked there on, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in attachments for motor vehicles and particularly to signals therefor used to indicate the direction in which the vehicle is to turn and also when it is to be stopped thus avoiding collisions due to'the fact that a machine following or approaching another machine does not usually know what the other machine is liable to'do.

In many places there is legislation requiring the extending of the hand in order to give the proper signal but this is often inconvenient and sometimes impossible and is at best a very poor way of signaling.

My improved invention is designed to provide an automatic signal which can be thrown out merely by pressing an electric button, oneof said signals being placed on each side of the vehicle at any desirabl oint. A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic outline of the wiring plan showing the electric connections of the signal.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, I first provide screws 1 arranged to be fastoned at any desirable. point on the vehicle,

Specification of Letters Patent.

' that the si Patented May 22, .1917.-

Application filed June 2, 1916. Serial No. 101,261.

which screwshold in place the cylindrical casing 2 which is'provided with a quarter round slot 3.

The casing 2 'is provided with a central pin 4 on which is'mounted the signal arm 5. This :signal arm 5 on one side extends through the slot 3 where it is provided with a signal member 6 which may be in the form of a hand, arrow or any other fanciful design found desirable. The otherend of the arm 5 is provided with a semi-circular armature core 7 whlch, when the s1gnal 6 1s in a vertical position, stands, substantially as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

A curved coil 8 is disposed within the.

casing 2 and when energized attracts the armature 7 anddraws the signal arm 5 to" horizontal position so as to extend the signal 6 horizontally outward from the vehicle as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. I

Within the signal 6 is a'lamp 9 which is wired to aswitch 10 which switch is closed to connect the circuit throughthe lamp 9 when the horizontal position of the signal 6 is reached.

In ractice provide one of my improved s gna mechanisms on each slde of the vehicle at some convenient point and" electrically operate one or the other by means of a switch blade 11 which will make a circuit 13 branches and connects with the other.

coil 8 of the opposite signal while a wire 14 leads from such coil 8* back to the point 18. The moving of the switch blade 11 into contact with the points 15 or 18 will complete a circuit through either the coils 8 or 8 respectively to throw up the signal on one side of the'vehicle or the other. Assuming a1 6 was the one thrown into operation t "is would throw the switch 10 to closed position which would complete a circuit from the source 12, through the wire 19, lamp 9, switch 10 and wire 20 back to the source 12. If the signal 6 was the one thrown to horizontal position then a circuit would be completed-"from the source 12, through the wire21, lamp 9*, switch 10 and wire 22 back to the source. Thus either the lamp 9 or 9 would be lighted according to whatever signal was thrown to horizontal I necessary connections.

While I have herein designated a single coil. for use in connection with the device, still in practice it will be readily understood that I can use one or more of such coils as will be found most proper in order to fully operate the signal.

From the foregoing description it will readily be seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfils the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from. the spirit of the invention as defined'by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A signal mechanism comprising an annular casing, a central transversely disposed pin within the casing, a signal lever turnable on the pin, said lever projecting on each side of the pin, a curved armature on the inner end of the lever, a signal arm on the other end of said lever, the casing being provided with a quarter circular slot in its circumference through which the signal arm projects, the ends of the slot acting as stops to limit the movement of thesignal arm in either direction, a curved solenoid adapted when energized to act on said armature to move the signal arm in one direction, such signal arm being adapted to drop in the opposite direction by gravity when the solenoid is deenergized, and means for energizing and deenergizing the solenoid.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature. 7 KING E. STOKER. 

